Best of Times
by JustOneLittleProblem
Summary: The Doctor's got problems. An arch nemesis who's got it out for him in more ways than one, a meddling TARDIS, and an indefinite exile in 2005. Add a certain Rose Tyler to that, and you've got a very pretty mess. (A Doctor x Rose soulmate UA)
1. Chapter 1: As It Should Be

The first time Rose Marion Tyler met her soulmate, they were both eight.

 _Rose sat cross legged in reddish grasses almost as tall as she was. A large yellow sun and its smaller red companion slid slowly across the orange sky. In the distance, a gargantuan city stretched toward the suns. It occurred to Rose what those suns might mean, and that maybe she ought to be afraid, but the place brought with the gentle breeze and softly whispering grass a sense of profound peace._

 _She couldn't bring herself to be afraid. The grasses abruptly rustled, and spat out a boy about her age. He was dark-haired, with narrow features and a mischievous sparkle in his dark eyes. He and Rose surveyed each other with open curiosity for a long moment. "You're in my dream." The boy said at last. "You're my soulmate, aren't you?"_

 _Rose nodded slowly. "I think so. You're awfully talkative for someone I dreamed up."_

 _The boy sat down next to her, and smiled at her. "I suppose I am. I'm Theta Sigma. Who're you?"_

 _Rose stuck out her hand to shake, and Theta took it gently, looking puzzled. "I'm Rose Tyler." She glanced up at the orange sky. "Where are we?"_

 _Theta Sigma went very still. "We're on Gallifrey, the Jewel of the Kasterborous constellation."_

 _Rose leaned back, gazing up at the sky thoughtfully. Then she glanced at him, and was worried by what she saw. "What's life like here? You don't seem to find it so fantastic."_

 _Theta Sigma's lip curled up in contempt. "All these Time Lords. They think they have to control every aspect of how you think, of how you act. Everything is either boring, or painful, or a combination of the two."_

 _Rose squeezed his hand gently. "Why not run away? I mean, you're not happy here, Theta."_

 _Abruptly he grinned at her. The fierce gleam in his eyes made her heart twinge with an unknown yearning for adventure. "That's exactly what I plan to do, Rose Tyler. Just as soon as I graduate, I'll take a TT capsule, and fly into the stars. Then we can travel the universe together." Abruptly he looked uncertain. "If you want to…"_

 _Rose grinned at him. "Are ya kidding? Of course I want to!" Theta Sigma looked like he wanted to hug her. Abruptly something that he said registered. "What's a TT capsule?"_

 _Theta grinned, leaping to his feet. "Time travel capsules. They're bigger on the inside. Come on, I'll show you." Beaming, Rose followed him._

 _This time, when Rose dreamed, the scenery was different, as it hadn't been for more than nine years. Glossy white metal, dotted with roundels, coated most of the surfaces of a sitting room. Theta paced in one corner, seemingly not noticing her. Abruptly he stopped, looking up. Theta smiled wearily at Rose, but his eyes still blazed with their customary spark. "How old are you now?" Rose said quietly, broaching the silence with their customary greeting._

 _Her eyes roved over Theta Sigma curiously. He appeared about fifty now, and wore Victorian clothes instead of traditional Gallifreyan robes. Oh no, she thought, realising what that combined with her surroundings might mean. Without missing a beat, Theta said, "I'm three hundred and thirty six."_

 _Eight years older than the last time she'd seen him. But that was chump change to a Time Lord. Rose got up, and hugged him. "What happened, Thete?"_

 _He pulled her closer, as if trying to gain comfort. "Don't call me that. Please. My name is the Doctor, now. I'm officially a renegade."_

 _Rose wasn't sure what to say to that, so she just hugged him tightly. After a moment she glanced up. "Doctor, what about Susan? Will she be fine on Gallifrey?"_

 _The Doctor smiled wryly. "I let her tag along. She was so desperate not to be left behind, and I just couldn't…" He trailed off, visibly composing himself._

 _Rose smiled softly at him. "Where will you go next?"_

 _The Doctor smiled at her, and there was such love in the expression that Rose's heart stuttered in her chest. "London, of course."_

 _Rose laughed joyously, and disentangled herself from their embrace, grabbing the Doctor's hand as she did so. "Come on, might as well explore!" The Doctor shook his head, but he was smiling._

The Doctor stared at the white squares strewn in front of him, and wondered just what he would be forced to sacrifice in order to get these people home. His life? One of his regenerations? The Doctor didn't even want to think about what would happen to Zoe and Jamie.

With shaking hands, the Doctor sat cross legged, closed his eyes, and focused. When the message was complete, he opened his eyes, and picked up the smallish white cube. Considering for a second, the Doctor pocketed it. There was still a chance, and he would take it.

The Doctor was slipping rapidly into unconsciousness, still changing. His last conscious thought was that he hoped Rose liked his new face. When the Doctor finally dreamed, Rose was not there.

Sitting at the little kitchen table in her flat, Rose let a stray sunbeam warm her face. Humming along with a fluffy pop song on the radio, Rose grinned happily as she riffled through college applications. A strange itching sensation started up in the back of her mind, one she'd only felt once before.

Suddenly subdued, Rose got up and turned off the radio. If it was true, and the Doctor was regenerating, then she didn't really feel like music. She wondered if he was okay. Even as she thought that, the itching sensation eased. A cool wind blew through the flat, ruffling the drapes. It was accompanied by an asthmatic wheezing groan.

Rose recognised the sound from the Doctor's descriptions, and knew it to be the sound of a materialising TARDIS. Surely the Doctor would've told her last night if he was planning on dropping by. But if it wasn't the Doctor… There were plenty of Time Lords out there who viewed humans as little more than short lived playthings. Well, she might not be a match for a Time Lord or Lady, but she would do her darnedest to beat them into their next life if they tried anything.

Rose padded into the kitchen, picking up a small cast-iron frying pan, and swinging it experimentally. Then she moved into the living room, following the sound. There, in a corner of the messy living room, was the ghostly outline of a blue police box.

A sudden surge of relief punched through Rose. Rose sagged. She only knew of one TARDIS with a broken chameleon circuit. With a final pulse, the police box faded into reality. Carefully, Rose placed the frying pan on the bookshelf, and waited. She didn't have to wait long.

The door banged open, and the Doctor stumbled out. Rose had a moment to register that he was now tall, with a young-old face, before he tripped over his own feet and crashed to the floor. Rose winced, already moving to help him. She knelt by his side. The Doctor looked up at her, gaze surprisingly clear. "Rose… but what am I doing here?"


	2. Chapter 2: Meteoric Beginnings

Rose bit her lip anxiously, and gently threaded her fingers through the Doctor's curly grey hair. "That's the thing, Doctor, I don't know. You just appeared. Where are Jamie and Zoe?"

The Doctor froze, and Rose thought she saw a glint of fear there. "I can't remember. They could be hurt, or worse, and I can't remember!"

The Doctor made an effort to sit up, rubbing his eyes. In a rush, the Doctor stood, swaying. He moved toward the TARDIS, but stopped, as Rose lightly rested a hand on his arm, glowering at him. Rose made an effort to keep her voice calm and level. But the thought of the Doctor flying away into potential danger without even his memories to guide him? That frightened her. "Doctor, you slept for three days the last time you regenerated. What if you pass out in the middle of a battlefield? What then? Stay and rest, and I promise I'll help you find Jamie and Zoe."

The Doctor considered for a long moment, then he frowned at her, brushing a thumb over her cheekbone. "You're frightened."

Rose roughly ran her fingers through her hair. "Of course I am! You could die!"

She swallowed hard, composing herself. The Doctor glanced at her, but he didn't look angry, only sad. "I should go change." He disappeared into the TARDIS, leaving Rose alone with her thoughts.

When the Doctor emerged from the TARDIS, clad in a pair of striped flannel pyjamas, Rose's mind was whirling. In the last dream she'd shared with the Doctor, Rose remembered him saying that the situation they were in was bad, but was it really bad enough to steal away the Doctor's memory, and take Zoe and Jamie? Putting those grim thoughts aside, Rose focused on the Doctor. A strange elation started forming in the pit of her stomach. They were together, and not just in the dreamwalking sense. Then Rose noticed how he kept on nodding off, periodically starting awake. She frowned ever so slightly, and took the Doctor's hand. He glanced at her. She gazed right back, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Let's get you settled."

The Doctor inclined his head slightly. "Good idea."

By the time they got to the bedroom, the Doctor looked about ready to keel over from exhaustion. He crawled into bed, curling up, and pulling the covers up to his chin. Rose turned to leave, but he caught her wrist in gentle fingers. "Doctor?" Rose queried softly.

His blue eyes were wide and surprisingly vulnerable. When he spoke, his voice was equally quiet. "Stay. Please."

This gnawing uncertainty, of where they stood, seemed to really be getting to both of them. Why would anything change? They were still the Doctor and Rose Tyler. But somehow something had. Not necessarily for the worse. Rose interlaced her fingers with the Doctor's, and squeezed lightly. "Of course."

Dropping the Doctor's hand, Rose crossed to the other side of her bed, kicking off her shoes. She placed her cell phone on the nightstand, and pulled off her pink, fuzzy jumper, leaving her in only her tank top and jeans. Rose moved under the covers, snuggling up to the Doctor. He wrapped his arms around her, tucking her head under his chin.

Rose could hear the steady thumping of the Doctor's hearts. The sound was soothing, reminiscent of all the times they'd been thus previously. Rose listened as the heartsbeats dropped off as the Doctor drifted into a regeneration-fuelled sleep. Rose's eyelids drooped, and she was almost asleep when the phone let out a deafening caterwauling and nearly leapt off the nightstand in its frantic vibrations.

Rose was almost surprised when the Doctor didn't stir. Rose, on the other hand, nearly leapt out of her skin. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Rose resolved to ignore the phone. She nestled deeper into the Doctor's arms. The phone rang for a while longer, then mercifully shut up… for all of two seconds. Then it began the caterwauling only dubiously disguised as ringing. If it stayed ringing, then whoever it is probably pretty desperate, Rose thought. "Otherfu-" Rose bit off, and carefully removed herself from the Doctor's arms.

Sliding across the bed, Rose picked up the phone. "Rose Tyler speaking."

An authoritative male voice spoke on the other end of the line. "Hello, Ms. Tyler. This is Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart speaking. Is the Doctor there?"

Rose's blood went icy. A high ranking military officer knew. Pretty much everything from the sound of it. Lethbridge-Stewart. That name sounded oddly familiar. If only she could place it… "No, he's not. May I take a message?"

The Brigadier sighed, and Rose got the impression that he shook his head. "No, that's perfectly fine. Don't wake him up. I'll send a car around to come get you. Be ready in an hour."

Rose sputtered in shock and disbelief, but the strange official had already hung up. Rose flopped onto the bed, and covered her face with her hands. After allowing herself a brief moment of self pity, Rose sat up again and picked up the phone, dialling her mum's number.

Jackie Tyler picked after three rings. "Hello, Rose. How are those uni applications coming?" Jackie said breezily.

Rose briefly paused, gathering strength for the uproar that would undoubtedly follow. "The applications are going great, Mum. The thing is, I found my soulmate, and he's hurt. I need you to make sure he doesn't die."

Or get abducted by the military, Rose thought wryly. Jackie now sounded openly suspicious. "Where are you going?"

Rose took a raspy breath. "To a military facility, apparently. It wouldn't be smart to ignore the summons."

Dead silence. Then came the hysterical, pterodactyl-like screeching. Rose winced, holding the phone away from her ear. Eventually Jackie quieted, but Rose caught most of her tirade. "Bloody hell, Rose… I don't care if your soulmate is an alien…" It went on in that vein for a while. Rose put the phone back to her ear just in time to catch her mother's resigned response. "Yes, fine, I'll watch him. I'll be over in fifteen minutes."

Rose muttered a quiet thank-you and hung up. Next to her, the Doctor muttered something about potatoes being made of block transfer computations. Rose smiled at him, and was struck with a pang of affection so strong it hurt. She settled in to wait.

Jackie showed up almost twenty minutes later. She bustled inside with her usual fuss, making a big production of hugging Rose. Rose returned the hug half heartedly, still worried about what the mysterious Lethbridge-Stewart had in store for her. Tales of torture and mind control swirled sickeningly inside her head. She wouldn't betray the Doctor. She wouldn't. Jackie pulled back, studying Rose's face with care. "Now, tell me. What the ruddy hell is going on?"

Rose took a shaky breath, and started to explain about the phone call. When she was done, there was a thoughtful look on Jackie's face. Which was odd, come to think of it. Jackie tilted her head to one side. "And the Doctor? What's wrong with him?"

Rose realised with a shock that she hadn't told Jackie his new name. "Uh, Mum, how do you know his new name?"

Jackie looked briefly murderous at a memory. "Remember when Jimmy Stone spiked your drink after you turned him down?"

Rose shuddered. "Vaguely. Refresh my memory, please."

Jackie's eyes lit with a spark of remembered rage, and Rose was very glad it wasn't directed at her. "Long story short, a man I strongly believe to be your soulmate protected you from Jimmy Stone and brought you home. I accidentally called him Theta Sigma, and he seemed amused, and told me he hadn't been called by that name in over a thousand years. He told me his new name, and explained everything."

Rose gaped at her mother. Jackie looked briefly amused, then in an abrupt about-face, she was all business again. "What's wrong with himself?"

Rose shrugged slightly. "He's sleeping off a regeneration. He should be fine, I just…" Rose trailed off, not wanting to tell her mother her real reasons.

Jackie gave her a sharp look, but she let it go. "What's a regeneration?" Rose gave a brief explanation. When she was done, Jackie shook her head ruefully. "Better you than me. I don't know that I'd be able to accept that."

A horn honked outside, and Rose glanced out the window. An expensive looking black SUV sat in the Estate car park. Rose hugged her mother. "'M sorry, Mum. Gotta go."

Jackie made a noise that sounded like a strangled growl, and glared at the SUV. Rose dashed into her room, stuffing her mobile into her back pocket. She paused to kiss the top of the Doctor's head. "I love you." Rose whispered fiercely. And she would rip apart the universe to protect him. It felt as if her heart was being torn in two as she turned to leave.

The Doctor drifted toward consciousness as Rose spoke. He registered a faint sense of panic as he heard her footsteps fading away. She'd said those words so many times before. So why did it sound like goodbye? The enveloping darkness of a post-regenerative coma rose up and claimed him.

Rose strode toward the bulky black SUV, forcing herself to keep her head up and her movements smooth and sure. Fear and determination roiled in her in equal parts. Rose tried to peer into the SUV, but the windows were too darkly tinted to allow her to see anything. Rose swallowed. Well, nothing for it. Rose opened up the side door, and slid into the empty, spacious backseat. Before she even had her seatbelt on, the engine purred, and the vehicle rolled away from home.

There were two people in the front seat, both in beige military uniforms of a type unknown to Rose. That frightened her. But it was hard to be much more scared than she already was. The one in the driver's seat was a thin, nondescript man in his twenties. Low ranking, Rose thought.

The other man was an entirely different kettle of fish. Seemingly in his twenties, with dark hair, he projected an aura of authority. If she had to guess, this was the mysterious Lethbridge-Stewart. Rose raised her gaze to lock eyes with him in the rearview mirror. She lifted her chin defiantly. "I won't tell you anything."

That seemed to puzzle the Brigadier. "That's a shame." Rose flinched, turning to gaze out the window. They spent the rest of the ride in silence.

Stepping out of the car, Rose squinted at the one-story, nondescript brownstone. She spun on her heel to face the Brigadier. "Tha' is your super secret base?" Rose noted absently that her accent was getting thicker with stress.

Lethbridge-Stewart's voice sounded distinctly strained. "Yes, now if we could proceed, Ro- Ms. Tyler."

Rose snorted, and followed him. They passed out of the car park, and into a foyer manned by two armed soldiers. Before Rose knew it, they were in a seemingly endless hall lined with doors. The Brigadier selected a door just like any other, and pulled it open, ushering her inside. Rose blinked at the brightly lit interior as she moved into the room. Tables were scattered haphazardly, coated with various bits of scientific equipment.

A red haired woman who appeared little more than forty was working at one of the tables. She looked up, and smiled, beckoning Rose over. "Rose, come see what you make of these."

Rose glanced back at Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, just to see what he'd do. Nothing, apparently. He hung back, watching them. Rose wandered over, and peered down into a straw lined tin case. Several thin, bumpy fragments of plastic lay inside.

Rose glanced up at the woman. "Please tell me what's going on." Rose begged quietly. The woman shot the Brigadier a glare over Rose's shoulder.

Then she glanced back at Rose with a smile playing about her lips. "I'm Liz Shaw." Then she dropped her voice conspiratorially. "The Brigadier probably doesn't know just how frightened you are, since the moron seems to have forgotten that you haven't worked with us yet."

Rose looked at her with interest, some of her fear fading. "Opposed timelines?" Rose had heard of them happening. The Doctor said they happened mostly to renegades like him.

Liz nodded. "I suppose you could call it that. I've worked with you before. First time I met you, you hugged me, and called it revenge for the scare I gave you 'all those years ago.'"

Liz laughed, and hugged her. When she pulled back, a brisk, businesslike expression had overtaken her face. "Let's get to the bottom of this mystery. Brigadier, kindly give us that information you've been hoarding."

The Brigadier headed over, wearing such a look of resignation and wounded dignity that Rose had to laugh. He paused to pick up a fragment of plastic, then stopped across from them. "We're not entirely sure what created these fragments, other than it's unlike anything we've dealt with previously." The Brigadier began without preamble.

"So that's why you brought me in. How did you know that the Doctor was in a regeneration coma?" Rose asked.

The Brigadier and Liz exchanged slightly uncomfortable looks. Rose let out a frustrated breath. "Oh, right. Stuff I'm not supposed to know." Rose reined in her frustration, and waved a hand for them to continue.

Liz's lips quirked up in a small smile. "Three weeks ago, there was a meteor shower. Only, none of the objects burned up whilst entering the atmosphere. When we arrived at the site of impact, there was nothing there but a few anomalous shards of plastic, and quite a few impact craters. So we packed up the plastic, and put armed guards on the area. A few days later, the disappearances began. Entire families vanishing in the middle of the day. We put armed soldiers on one of the at-risk families, but there were sounds of a struggle, then nothing. Everyone inside that flat had been taken, despite the massive spray of bullets flying around. So whatever it was must've been bulletproof. Then there was Bad Wolf Builders, a company contracted to build an enormous cavern under the Eye. Somehow, it's all connected. I hope you can find out how."

Rose nodded absently, sifting through the information. She held out her hand for the plastic piece. The Brigadier placed it in her outstretched hand, watching her curiously. Rose turned back to the case, and started fitting the pieces together, a suspicion forming in her mind. Struggling to hold together the irregular sphere, Rose called over the other two.

Liz and the Brigadier crowded around, staring at the sphere, Liz with fascination, the Brigadier with mild confusion. Rose carefully lifted away one hand, willing the sphere not to crumble. To her eternal surprise, it didn't. Rose pointed with her free hand, indicating a jagged tear in the shell. "See that? It's like someone tore it open from the outside. I think there was something inside, and something or someone wanted it. Brigadier, I'm afraid your aliens were already here at the time of the meteor shower. I-" She broke off as her phone began wailing for attention. "Sorry, gotta take this."

She silently dared the Brigadier to protest, but he remained silent. Rose picked up the phone - and winced. Jackie's hysterical shrieks were the first thing she heard. "Rose! Somebody's breaking down the door, and the Doctor won't wake up!"

Heart thundering in her ears, she tried to think. Only one thing occurred to her. Much though she hated to do it, it was the only option. "Put me on. Let the Doctor hear my voice."

"But-"

"Do it!"

Jackie quieted, and after a few seconds, Rose could hear the Doctor's steady, even breathing. "Doctor. Wake up!"


End file.
